Tavaranic Culture
The Tavanaric culture was a complex culture of Region B's coastal forests, existing in the Early Bronze Age. The Tavaranic culture spoke in the Lower Sanakak dialect of the Sanakak language. Known Cities Tavaran, Halwahu, Nagal, Ebarsal, Mukwisj, Lahu, Tasrak Material Culture Tavaranic houses are frequently wooden or mudbrick, with gypsum plaster being an incredibly costly import and thus saved only for the most important public buildings. Local limestones are used for more important and affluent housing, and the richest houses incorporate gabbro and granite from the south. Carnelian, amethyst, and various semi-precious forms of white quartz are used for jewellery, along with sapphires which are extremely expensive. Imported copper and tin are used to produce bronze, which is used mostly for weaponry and decoration, bronze tools are becoming more common but only slowly. As with the Mnarid material culture, the potter's wheel is utilised but pottery here generally features floral, geometric motifs rather than the Mnarid propensity for animal forms. Irrigation canals are utilised to some extent but generally only in the south, as the water table is far kinder to agriculture and conditions are far less extreme than in the southern deserts. City fortification is frequently used more for prestige than defence, often involving heavy decoration with granite monuments and sometimes even jewelled panels of gabbro. Cities are based around podiums for public worship, but these are usually connected to important religious sites in rural areas with festivals often involving a procession between the two. Linen clothing is supplemented with cotton which is considered a luxury product. Larger and larger canoes have given way to boats resembling dedicated trading ships, and these are used to ply the seas by those cities with access (although parts of the main river system are also navigable with these vessels). Writing has independently been created here, developing out of an earlier pictographic system, 'Tavaranic Hieroglyphic' script. Society The majority of cities are independent states, but Ebarsal has grown more powerful in recent years and extends its hegemony over a small collection of minor cities not shown on the map at present. Rural sanctuaries and temples are a strong part of conceptions of boundaries here. Most cities are predominantly ruled by something more like a civic authority, with 'king' figures being balanced by assemblies and priesthoods. However, in some the balance is skewed towards one of these three pillars. Kingly prestige is most often generated in military ventures, but in some cities commercial activities are also considered to be highly important, in particularly Halwahu. There is a clearly delineated military caste that utilises bronze equipment due to its expense and rarity, usually supplemented with more poorly equipped levies utilising small shields and axes/spears, spears, and slings. Priests are generally totally shaven, but those cities with strong contacts to the Mnarid south will occasionally have bearded priests as a status symbol (particularly when dealing with their southern neighbours). Mercantile behaviour is strongly associated with coastal trade, the transferral of that trade along the river by land, and the import of goods from much further inland by river barge. Links between a large rural hinterland and the cities are important, not only in terms of ritual and industry but simply in terms of population. The Tavaranic 'sphere' extends well into the countryside, rather than with the Mnarid societies which are extremely bound to the river. Sea deities are more commonly worshipped by the coast, with Ebarsal particularly emphasising a war deity. The worship of forest deities and wood spirits is common, as is the worship of the sun, the harvest, and the rivers. Diet Barley is ubiquitous here also, as is the rosy potato, but the chickpea is also a big element of the diet here. Yams and pears are less expensive here due to the slightly gentler climate. Pistachios, apples, and apples are all prestigious goods imported coastally, but dates are commonly considered to be unpleasant and are not generally imported in quantity. Dried fava beans are a common import, and the eastern cities also import raisins, blue potato and peas from the eastern Sabwaic cities. Game meat is infrequent but affordable, and in terms of keeping animals beef and pork are the most common meats. Notes Tavaran and Halwahu are themselves in common contact with the Qalar and Shewa cultures via sea trade, whereas Ebarsal and Muksiwj are in more common contact with the Mnarid cities. Category:People Category:Cultures Category:Bronze Age